Would you like to evaluate your consecutive medical interpreting skills?

There are tests available to interpreters toassess their consecutive oral linguistic skills. The IMIA seeks to empower its members by informing them of the various products that are available in the market nationwide.

Benefits for Language Access Departments:

As a language access department, if your interpreters pass a commercial Interpreter Skills Test (third party validation of your interpreters' skills):

• you will be confident that your interpreters meet the linguistic proficiency and consecutive interpreting requirements for consecutive interpretation in most medical settings

• you will have validation from a recognized and objective source;

• these test results are very valuable to preceptors as a diagnostic tool for practicums;

• your morale will increase by your recognizing the differentiation between qualified tested interpreters and other bilingual individuals;

• you will be compliant with the Joint Commission audits which meets and exceeds OCR guidelines and CLAS Standards; and

• you will lessen your department's liability and improve your organization's risk management.


As an interpreter:

• you will receive a certificate validating your skills and competency;
 
• you will further improve your skills;

• you will be more qualified to maintain or seek a position as an interpreter

• if you don't pass, you will know which specific areas to work on for a future test retake

• All these commercial tests are conducted over the phone, when you are available, eliminating additional travel and accommodation costs

• Tests can be retaken at any time.

Language Proficiency Testing Options

In the past five years, the population that speak a language other than English has increased by over 7 million bringing the total to 52 million while the limited English speaking population has increased by almost 4 million, now at 23 million. These factors make language barriers a national concern for all health care organizations as quality of care and patient safety risks exist. Over the last few decades, interpreters have gained prominence to enable effective communication between providers and their patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). To see report please click here.

Interpreter Tests that are available:

Cyracom
The CyraCom Interpreter Skills Assessment provides an evaluation of a candidate's ability to interpret clinical encounters. CyraCom evaluates the candidate's knowledge of medical vocabulary and the ability to convert messages from one language to another accurately and completely. Assessments are available by telephone in more than 20 languages.

Competencies Tested:
-Delivery of accurate and complete medical interpretation
-Use of medical interpretation protocols and best practices
-Language proficiency in English and the other language
-Ability to interpret medical vocabulary

For more information please go to:
http://www.cyracom.com/Default.aspx?PageId=732

Language Line University
Language Line Services test is offered in 160+ languages including: Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Korean, Khmer, Arabic, German, French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Russian, Tagalog, Somali, Farsi, Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian, and Hmong. It is completed over the phone, with qualified proctors. The test simulates a short medical triadic encounter, where the testee plays the role of the medical interpreter.

Competences Tested
The Interpreter Skills Test tests interpreters in these critical areas:
• Language proficiency in both working languages
• Consecutive interpreting skills in a medical encounter
• Customer service skills
For more information please go to:
http://www.languageline.com/page/llu/

Pacific Interpreters
The Interpreter Skills Assessment evaluates the candidate’s competency in English and the target language; ability to apply accepted interpreting skills, protocols and standards of practice; and knowledge of general medical terminology in both languages. The assessment is offered in more than 50 languages.

Competencies tested:
Accuracy—ability to provide accurate, meaning-for-meaning first-person interpretation
Listening and Recall—ability to retain and faithfully reproduce adequate amount of meaning units
Appropriate Transparent Intervening—ability to request a repeat or a clarification when necessary in order to deliver an accurate interpretation
Effective Speech Flow Control—ability to coordinate the pace and length of client's utterances with interpreter's short-term memory and language processing capacity

For more information please go to:
http://www.pacificinterpreters.com/services/language-assessment.aspx#lisa